Everton vs Crystal Palace: Moyes' Return Meets Sage's Debut

The Premier League curtain lifts at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday, and it does so with a story heavy on history and fresh ambition. Kick-off: August 22, 2026, 10:00 a.m. (US time).

David Moyes walks back into Everton’s home dugout for a league game with points, pride and perception all on the line. Across from him, Pierre Sage steps into the Premier League spotlight for the first time, charged with turning Crystal Palace’s promise into something more permanent.

Two clubs. Two new eras. One unforgiving opening day.

How to Watch in the United States

Everton vs Crystal Palace will be broadcast live across several platforms in the U.S.:

• UNIVERSO
• USA Network
• Fubo
• DirecTV Stream
• Sling TV

Fans using a VPN to access their usual services from abroad can connect to a server in a country where the game is being shown and then log in to their chosen broadcaster’s app or website to stream the match.

Moyes Back in Blue, Palace Under New Command

Moyes starts his latest Everton chapter with a fixture that already feels like a tone‑setter. The Toffees open their 2026/27 Premier League campaign at home, with a fanbase desperate for early evidence that this version of Everton will be sharper, sturdier, and less chaotic than recent seasons.

Across the technical area, Sage brings a very different energy. The French coach has inherited a Palace squad with genuine quality in key positions and has wasted no time putting his stamp on it in the transfer market. Palace arrive on Merseyside with a clear idea of how they want to play, even if the Premier League will provide the true measure of that identity.

The stakes are obvious. Everton want to re-establish Hill Dickinson as a difficult place to visit. Palace want to prove their upward trajectory is real, not just a pre-season talking point.

Transfer Battle Lines Drawn

Palace’s summer has revolved around one name: Adam Wharton. Manchester City came calling, and the answer from Selhurst Park was blunt. The England international is not for sale this summer, with Sage and the club making it clear he is central to their plans.

That stance sets the tone for Palace’s intent. They are not just surviving the window; they are trying to build through it. The club are closing in on a season-long loan for Chelsea centre-back Axel Disasi, a move designed to tighten a back line that will need to be compact and disciplined from the first minute of this campaign.

Everton have moved in a different lane, but with similar ambition. The club remain in talks over a potential deal for Jack Grealish, with chief executive Angus Kinnear confirming contact with the Manchester City winger. Whether Grealish actually walks through the door before the window shuts is another question, yet the pursuit alone signals that Everton are aiming high.

For now, Moyes leans on what he has: a largely settled group, familiar with each other and with enough depth to compete from day one.

Predicted Lineups and Team News

Moyes is expected to start with continuity and structure.

For Everton, the projected XI:

• Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
• Defence: Jarrad Branthwaite, James Tarkowski, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Jake O'Brien
• Midfield: Harrison Armstrong, Merlin Roehl, Hayden Hackney
• Attack: Iliman Ndiaye, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall supporting striker Thierno Barry

Everton are missing James Garner, Tim Iroegbunam, and Christian Noergaard through injury. No suspensions are listed.

Sage’s first Premier League lineup with Palace is set to showcase the technical core he has inherited and protected.

Crystal Palace’s projected XI:

• Goalkeeper: Walter Benitez
• Defence: Jaydee Canvot, Chadi Riad, Chris Richards, Tyrick Mitchell
• Midfield/Wide: Ismaila Sarr, Dwight McNeil, Daichi Kamada, Adam Wharton, Oscar Mingueza
• Attack: Joergen Strand Larsen

Dean Henderson is the only injury concern for the visitors, and Palace also arrive without suspensions.

Pre-Season Clues – and Questions

Pre-season offered hints, not answers.

Everton finished their warm-up schedule with a 2-2-1 record. The standout performance came in a 3-1 win over Newcastle, a result that showed both attacking punch and control. They also edged Hamburger SV 2-1 away, while a 1-1 draw with Lille on August 15 closed out their preparations.

The warning signs? Defeats to VfB Stuttgart (3-1) and Stoke City (1-0), with six goals conceded in those two games alone. That defensive wobble is exactly the kind of issue Moyes will want to iron out quickly.

Palace’s summer was just as mixed: two wins, two defeats, one draw (2-1-2). They put three past Al-Ula FC in a 3-1 victory and edged Fulham 2-1, but suffered heavy 3-0 losses to both Lens and Freiburg. A 0-0 draw with Famalicao underlined a different concern: can they consistently turn possession and structure into goals?

Across five games, Palace scored six and conceded seven. Enough to show flashes. Not enough to calm every doubt.

Recent History Favors Everton – Just

These two know each other well, and the recent record leans blue.

Their last meeting, at Selhurst Park on May 10, 2026, ended 2-2 in a lively Premier League draw. Over the last five league clashes, Everton have taken three wins, with two matches drawn and none going Palace’s way.

Goals have flowed: Everton 9, Palace 7 across that run.

Hill Dickinson, in particular, has not been kind to the Eagles. Everton have won both of the previous two Premier League fixtures there by the same scoreline: 2-1 in September 2024 and 2-1 again in October 2025.

So Palace arrive with a new coach, a new plan, and an old problem: how do they finally turn performances at this ground into points?

The Table and the Tension

On paper, there is barely anything between them. Crystal Palace sit eighth in the Premier League table, Everton ninth, going into this opening fixture.

That slim gap only sharpens the edge. These are two clubs eyeing the same territory in the league – the space just below the elite, where European dreams and mid-table frustration constantly collide.

Opening day won’t decide their seasons. But it will set a tone.

Does Moyes’ Everton reclaim their home as a fortress? Or does Sage’s Palace announce themselves with a statement away win in his first top-flight outing?